Spirit
"Spirit" is the name given by theologians to the entities that compose the world both within and without Thaelis-Y'Arda. Everything that exists is composed of spirits, including elements, metals and even living creatures. Spirits come in a near-infinite variety of shapes and sizes, but are divided and sub-divided into various classifications by mystics and scholars to simplify their study. The 11 Varieties of Spirit Lacunae Lacunae are spirits descended from the Void itself - raw space and potential. Almost nothing is known about these spirits, which make up space itself. Demons Demons are spirits descended from Oblivion - the dark chaos of non-existence. Demons are malignancy personified, the antithesis of all that is within the world. Temporals Temporals are spirits descended from Tey'Kor-Akx - time, order and the Word. Spirits of time are patient, deliberate and often possessed of extreme intelligence. Angels Angels are spirits descended from Mithras - the light and truth of the Sun. Angels are organised, and totally devoted to the preservation of Order in the face of Chaos. Inferi Inferi are spirits descended from Nito - stone, memory and death. Inferi are dutiful and possess great memory, diligently preserving the sanctity of death and reincarnation. Undines Undines are spirits descended from Dagon - water and accumulated knowledge. Undines are enigmatic and elusive, but are known to possess the greatest body of understanding within the world. Sylphs Sylphs are spirits descended from Urana - the sky that gives breath. Sylphs are fickle, empathic and unpredictable, eternally curious and always watching the ways of mortals Efreets Efreets are spirits descended from Ignis - the energetic motion of fire. Efreets are energetic, adventurous and restless, perpetually in motion and seeking to explore the world. Boreals Boreals are spirits descended from Sif - the struggle and toil of Winter. Boreals are aloof, prideful and indifferent, being of all spirits the least concerned with mortal affairs. Gaeas Gaeas are spirits descended from Orboros - the life that feeds the earth. Gaeas are durable, temperate and contemplative, maintaining guardianship over the sanctity of life. Ephemerals Ephemerals are spirits descended from Dr'Oon - the creative fantasy of dreams. Ephemerals are imaginative, meditative and independent, dancing on the edge of reality. The Origin of Spirits The spirits of Thaelis-Y'Arda have two different possible origins: Primal Spirits Lacunae, demons and temporals came before the Word was spoken, and so belong to this classification. Spirits of Creation Angels, inferi, undines, sylphs, efreets, boreals, gaeas and ephemerals were born of the Over-Soul and the Word spoken by Tey'Kor-Akx, and exist only within Creation. Spirit, Soul and Flesh A soul is the essence of existence itself, and most types of spirit are the product of this existence and the Word spoken in the Beginning. flesh is a synthesis of eight different spirit types, and is subject to decay as its individual components seek to separate themselves and re-attain purity. All kinds of spirits are able to interact with souls even while they are dissolved, but flesh cannot manipulate the soul, merely contain it in life. Spirit Manifestation and Dissolution Spirits, by default, appear in their true "dissolved" forms, which are those of the base elements of Thaelis-Y'Arda such as light, soil, fire, water etc. With the exception of the Primordials, which are each permanently fixed in dissolved form by the World-Weaver, all spirits have the ability at will to materialise in whatever form they wish, imitating the forms of flesh and allowing meaningful interaction with mortal creatures. Manifestation Most spirits have certain forms they prefer over others, which is especially true in the case of lares and asuras. For instance, demons prefer to adopt the horrid forms of bacteria, viruses, swine etc,, gaeas prefer to take the form of plants and woodland animals and angels tend towards vaguely humanoid appearances. While in material form, spirits can both touch and be touched by creatures of flesh, but it should be remembered that they are not themselves of this nature - when injured, they do not ooze blood but rather facets of their spirit type. for example, demons bleed shadow, angels seep forth light, and temporals release streams of tiny mathematical symbols. Usually, spirits can only be harmed when in manifested form, but there are exceptions (for instance, demons can be struck by gold even in dissolved form. There are usually tells that a spirit is present, such as the skin of an animal which appears bark-like (gaea), a faint glow surrounding a humanoid (angel) or a faint burnt smell emanating from a creature (efreet). Dissolution Most spirits spend the majority of their time in dissolved form, appearing simply as shadows, illumination, stone or dreams. In this form, they can interact meaningfully only with other spirits, and must materialise before doing so with mortals. The Primordials Primordials can be best understood as the collective intelligence of all spirits of their type, as these lesser spirits budded off from each Primordial soon after it was spoken forth from the Void by the Word of Tey'Kor-Akx. The Primordials make up the world itself, their bodies the basal elements of fire, light, stone, water etc. The Gods Gods are hybrid spirits whose origin is unknown. They are, unlike all other spirits, composed of the essence of two Primordials, and although this grants them great power relative to other spirits, they are as a consequence known for their unpredictability and erratic personalities. The emergence of gods was not expected by the trolls, and they do not trust the children of the elders. When the majority of gods began to appear, from the late 1st to the late 2nd Era, they drew a lot of worship from mortals by claiming dominion over the different elements of sapient personality. While a select few came to hold allegiance to the Primordials and the trolls, most of them either cared not for the opposition of Oblivion, characterised by selfish hubris, or actively joined the Court of Chaos. Since the coming of the gods, it is clear that Darkness grew in strength while the Light faded. Spirit Levels Spirit levels are generally applied only to spirits themselves, although certain beings such as dragons and exceptional mortal souls can conceivably rise through the ranks of spirit also. Each spirit level holds power roughly three times that of the one preceding it, and roughly one-third the power of the one exceeding it. The personalities of weaker spirits (levels 1-3) are generally dictated solely by the nature of its Primordial ancestor, more powerful spirits (levels 4+ and most gods) come to determine a more individual-specific identity and most possess their own True Name in either Korakx (most spirits) or Tartarian (for demons). Lacunae do not possess true names, and little is known of their true nature, or even if they have one. Spirit Level 1: Facet Minuscule and near-mindless spirits that compose the basal elements of the world, facets appear as tiny components such as grains of stone and soil, droplets of mist, motes of shadow and tiny sparks of flame. Spirit Level 2: Aspect The lowest form of spirit to possess the semblance of free will, aspects are larger spirits bound to the service of greater entities in the spiritual hierarchy. Spirit Level 3: Lare Spirits of potent strength, lares are served by aspects and commonly come to themselves serve the interests of asuras an deities. Spirit Level 4: Asura Spirits of great power that are mere steps away from achieving deityhood, these are the servitors of the Primordials themselves, including jotunns, oni, trolls and voivodes. Spirit Level 5: Fledgling Deity These are spirits that have accumulated enough power to claim a Crown of Divinity, and can exercise some small measure of control over the nature of reality. Most spirits of this level and above are gods, although dragons and ancient trolls could also qualify. Spirit Level 6: Lesser Deity More powerful spirits come to exercise their will over a greater proportion of the world's makeup, and have a considerable following of mortal worshippers. Spirit Level 7: Intermediate Deity These are spirits that hold dominion over the more prevalent domains of the psyche, holding a very large amount of power over the world. Spirit Level 8: Greater Deity Spirits of almost unimaginable power, these include the youngest of the Primordials themselves - Ignis, Sif, Orboros and Dr'Oon, which make up half of the world. Spirit Level 9: Supreme Deity These unfathomable entities are the first of the Primordials to be spoken forth from the Void, including Mithras, Nito, Dagon and Urana. Spirit Level 10: Primal Deity Only three ineffable spirits occupy this tier, and their machinations have played out since before the beginning of Time. These spirits are the Void, Oblivion and Tey'Kor-Akx.